The Preposterous Nightmare
by Disney United
Summary: A young Kuzco has a nightmare that Yzma betrays him. But that would never happen - the idea alone is simply preposterous.


_For lindseywoolsey_

Yzma's eyes opened hesitantly (more like unwillingly) as the soft crying reached her ears. Almost immediately she realized what was making those noises.

She sighed, allowing her eyes to drift shut briefly, before sitting up. Soon after, she stood, yanking on her robe, which fell awkwardly around her bony shoulders. By the time she cleaned the anti-aging mask from her face, the crying was much louder, coming from right outside her door.

Yzma sighed once more, before opening the door.

Kuzco sniffed miserably, rubbing at his eyes. His dressing gown was haphazardly put on, obviously having been pulled on by himself. Under one arm was his well-loved stuffed animal, looking like it was about to fall apart.

Yzma stepped aside, allowing the young prince to enter her rooms. He did so quickly, pausing only slightly, when Yzma set a thin hand on his wild hair, ruffling the ebony stands gently.

As she shut the door, she heard the creak of her bed, the young prince having ran and jumped onto the piece of furniture.

"So what was it tonight?" Yzma questioned, barely restraining another sigh.

The young prince hesitated, before saying, "Nightmare."

Yzma raised an eyebrow at him. "Another one? Honestly Kuzco..."

"I'm telling the truth!" Kuzco said defiantly, jutting out his chin. However, that effect was lost by the tear stains on his cheek.

Yzma sat down beside him on the bed, crossing her legs and looking down at the boy. A small smile briefly tugged at her lips, before she forced it away. "Alright, alright. I believe you. What was it about this time?"

Kuzco pulled his legs up on the bed, leaning into Yzma's side. The woman imagined that it couldn't be too comfortable - she was rather thin, after all - but the young boy didn't seem to mind. Finally, he began speaking.

"It...wasn't anything too terrible...but it made me...really sad."

"Oh?"

Kuzco nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging. "You see...it was like...you didn't..."

"Come now, spit it out," Yzma muttered impatiently.

"You didn't like me...anymore..." Though Kuzco's voice started out bold, it steadily got quieter, his nervousness quite apparent.

It was what he had said though, that truly got Yzma's attention. Kuzco was worried about her...not...

"That's preposterous, and you know it," she said firmly, though one arm wrapped around the boy, quickly squeezing him.

"Yeah...but...it still made me sad."

Yzma rolled her eyes, before looking down at the prince. He was rather surprised to see his wide amber eyes staring up at her, an open willingness-to-trust-others that only a child could possess.

She had to clear her throat and look away.

"Yzma?" Kuzco asked, his tone uncharacteristically quiet.

"Hm?"

"...Can I stay the rest of the night in here?"

Yzma shifted slightly, trying to pull away from the boy whom only gripped her robe tighter. She gave up, instead, shooting an annoyed look at him. "Kuzco. Remember what I've told you."

"I know, I know," he said in annoyance. "It's "improper"."

"That it is," Yzma nodded.

Kuzco bit his lip, before those wide eyes met Yzma's once more. "Please? Just for a little while."

Yzma thought herself weak, as she nodded, but those eyes...there was no saying no to them.

Kuzco once again glued himself to her side, laying his head against her bony ribage. His wide eyes fluttered shut, the long eyelashes brushing his cheeks.

"G'night, Yzma," he sighed happily, as he drifted off to sleep.

Yzma didn't move for several minutes, her eyes trained on the wall across from her bed. Kuzco's words, the fears of his nightmares, continued to echo in her head.

Would that ambition, that carefully planted seed of that want to succeed...would that seed grow and flourish, pushing aside all other needs? All other things that were important to her.

Kuzco's small hands squeezed her robe slightly, as he once again pulled himself closer to her. Yzma looked down at his sleeping face, a hand hovering over his sleep-ruffled hair. Finally, she gave in, allowing her fingers to comb through his hair.

There was no way she could betray Kuzco. It was simply preposterous.

**_A/N I don't know why, but I love the whole young!Kuzco thing. It's just adorable! At least I have aged him up a bit more in this one compared to the last few! Also, I apologize for the long (unannounced) hiatus over the summer...but I am back and better than ever!_**

**_That being said, if you have any requests for a story within the Disney-Pixar animated fandom, feel free to tell me about it in a review, or better yet, a PM!_**

**_Thank you for reading, and please review!_**


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